


The Proposal

by Rumandcoke359



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Awkward Boners, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is Not Nice, Ben is Margaret, But not to him, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Grandma Maz, Green Card, Hate to Love, Jealousy, Rey has parents, Rey is Andrew, Rey is No One, Rey just wants a promotion, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, The Proposal AU, deportation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2020-11-25 17:49:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20916110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumandcoke359/pseuds/Rumandcoke359
Summary: "The problem with this man is that he's a gigantic pain in my ass," Rey stares at the crumpled up note in her hands. She doesn't recall clenching her fists, but then again she doesn't remember much of what got her into this situation in the first place.OrBen's about to be deported so he enlists his assistant, Rey, to marry him.The Proposal AU





	1. Chapter 1

Rey smiled softly as she rolls over in bed. The warm sheets hugging her body. She could see the light through her closed eyelids. Rey can't remember the last time she felt this good waking up.

Her eyes fly open and she scrambles to grab her phone off her night stand. Reading the time, she violently throws the sheets off her body much to her bodies protest.

“Shit shit shit shit”,she whispers as she rushes out of bed. “He’s gonna kill me” 

Rey is not one to be late to her job. Correction: She cannot afford to be late to her job. Ben Solo does not permit you to be late. For that man, being on time is still being late. Arriving ten minutes before you actually start to get paid for your work is what is expected of you. The fucker. 

For the past three years Rey has had the not so pleasurable experience of being Ben Solo’s assistant. The job title doesn’t fully encapture everything she does for that man. Assistant implies assisting him at his job but the last time Rey checked, she has been assisting this man in every aspect of his life. During work hours, outside of work hours, during the holidays, in the middle of her hookups. Rey hasn’t had a moment of peace since the day she started working for First Order Publishing.

Grabbing the latest manuscript off her desk and stuffing it in her bag, she leaves her apartment in record time. Rey's heels can only take her so fast but when she finally makes it to the Starbucks across the street she groans. Leave it to her luck for the line to be ten times longer than when she usually gets here.

“Rey! Hey!” Rey looks up and sees Poe, the handsome barista she's been chatting up for the last few weeks. He's holding up two cups of coffee and Rey already knows it's her exact order. If Rey wasn’t sure to going on a date with him then, she is now.

“Literally saved my life. Thank you. Thank you.” she exclaims as she slaps some bills on the counter. Grabbing the two coffees she makes a hasty exit and rushes across the street to enter the office building. 

Stepping into the elevator Rey finally has a moment to breathe. God what she wouldnt do to be able to throw his stupid coffee out, pack up her desk and leave. Well, she guesses she could do that but then she'd be jobless, in Manhattan, with no back up and an ever rising rent to pay. Not to mention, the three years she’d put into this job would be wasted. Down the drain along with her hopes of making editor. 

The ding of the elevator snaps Rey back to reality.

“Cutting it close” the receptionist pipes up.

“One of those mornings. Thank you captain obvious.” Rey replies smoothly looking over her shoulder. Someone should really teach that receptionist to mind her own busin-

Hot. All Rey can feel is hot. Gasping she looks at the mail boy who also seems to be just as shocked as she is. People snicker nearby but Rey can’t really focus on that. All she can focus on is the fact that the coffee she had gotten for her boss is now spilled evenly across not only herself but also the mail boy. 

“You've got to be fucking kidding me.” Rey grumbles. Ignoring the weak sorry the poor boy had to offer she rushes over to Rose’s desk.

“I need the shirt off your back. Literally.” she says without so much as a hello.

“Well hello to you too but what makes you think I’m gonna do that for you?” Rose smirks and crosses her arms, leaning back in her chair.

“Well for one, you know Ben is gonna kill me and I know you like having another girl in the office and for second…” trailing off, she glances up and sees Finn chatting with his friends a few cubicles away, “If you don't, I'll just go on over to Finn and tell him you've been madly in love with him for the past year and -” Rey doesn’t even need to finish because she's being pulled away by Rose in the direction of the bathrooms.

With a new and clean shirt, Rey heads to her desk and drops down her stuff. Grabbing what's left of her own coffee she heads into Ben’s office and glances at the clock knowing he should be heading in any moment. Glancing at the door, she sees him approaching. 

“Morning boss.” She greets him handing him his coffee. “You have a conference call in thirty minutes”

“Yes, about the marketing of the spring books. I know” He grumbles like she wasn’t supposed to remind him. Like it isn’t her job to remind him of these things. 

“Staff meeting at 9:00” she adds trying to ignore his attitude. Without a beat he sits down and glances around at the papers littering his desk,  
"Did you call the one with the… with the…. the ugly hands?” He asks using his hands to make a vague gesture.

“Janette? Yes, I did call and I told her if she doesn’t hand in her manuscript on time, you won’t give her a release date.” Ben nods and hums in acknowledgment. “Also your immigration lawyer called and said it was imperative-” 

“Cancel the call, push the meeting to tomorrow, keep the lawyer on the sheets. Get a hold of PR, have them start drafting a press release.” Ben pauses his list to smirk slyly, “Snoke is doing Oprah.”

Rey’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wow. Impressive.” She can't help but let it out. She should’ve known that if were to be anyone to convince the hard ass that is Snoke, it’d be him. Still, her shock is evident. And just like that, Bens smirk is gone and his stone cold expression is back.

“If I wanted your praise, I would have asked for it.” He remarks and starts organizing his papers on the desk. 

Rey sighs to herself and starts heading to the door to make an exit. With one more step to take she hears Ben’s deep voice,

“Um, who is Poe and why does he want me to call him?” Rey winces and swivels in her spot to see Ben now holding up the Starbucks cup with the words, “Rey! Call me ;)” and a neatly written phone number sharpied on, facing her.

Rey chuckles nervously, “Well that was originally my cup…” Ben gives her an expectant look, urging her to elaborate, “I spilled yours this morning.”

“Ah, so you drink…” He pauses to take a tentative sip of the coffee, “Unsweetened cinnamon soy lattes as well?” Rey’s eyes shift around the room trying to come up with something good to say about the nasty coffee she has to drink every morning.

“Yeah, it’s like… Christmas in a cup.” Rey isn’t very fond of Christmas so the statement isn’t truly a lie. Ben is still looking at her with this look. Rey can’t quite place it but it’s a look. A look she's seen before in different men at different jobs. Like they pity her, they think she's pathetic, like she’s no one. The phone begins to ring beside her but she feels the need to defend herself. Even though it’s not true, she adds, “I wouldn’t drink the same coffee as you.... That would be… pathetic.”

“Ben Solo’s office,” she says into the receiver. She's greeted by the voice of the one person she despises more than the man in front of her. “Oh Hux hello.” Glancing up at Ben, she can see that he’s making a gesture that she has learned to mean, “Oh we’re actually heading over there right now.” She says not caring if she cuts Hux off in whatever nonsense he’s spewing she hang up the receiver.

“Why are we headed to Hux’s office?” Ben doesn't provide her with a real answer when he looks at her and shrugs. 

She shrugs right back at him and waits for him to leave the office first, to follow his lead. When he finally steps out of the office, she trails behind him and she can’t help but feel like a small puppy. He’s so large that if someone were to be looking at him from the front, she'd be completely hidden and Rey would go unnoticed. In moments like these Rey wonders if this is all her life will be. Trailing behind Ben Solo while he calls all the shots, makes all the money.

Rey can't help the envy that floods her body. He gets all the money, all the praise. He gets to go home to his upper east side apartment while she has to deal with broken heaters and a landlord who couldn’t be bothered to do anything to fix it. Phone calls from him at three am because of a mistake he made, asking her to fix them as soon as possible. And all that for her to trail behind him like a lost puppy. 

“Hey Ben?” Ben doesn’t stop walking but the hallway widens and allows for Rey to slip into the space next to him, “Did you read that manuscript I left on your desk last week?”

“Yeah, I skimmed it. I wasn’t that into it.” He replies cooly not even glancing over at her. Rey’s steps faltered but she recovers almost instantaneously.

“I've read thousands of manuscripts and this is the only one I’ve ever given you. There’s an incredible novel in there. The kind First Order used to publish.” She sounds weak but it’s only because she's trying to keep up with his long strides and with her short legs, is not an easy feat.

She can tell that Ben's eyes have caught something and she looks over and sees Rose standing there awkwardly waiting for them to pass. The coffee stain on Rose's shirt, or rather Rey’s shirt very evident. 

“Wrong. And I do think you order the same coffee as me in case it spills and that is indeed, pathetic.”

“Or impressive”

“I’d be impressed if you didn't spill it in the first place. Remember, you’re a prop.” Ben takes his final strides into Hux’s office without another word. 

“Won’t say a word.” Rey all but whispers. Stepping into the office she awaits to hear what this impromptu meeting could possibly be about.

“Ah, the supreme leader and his liege, please, do come in” Hux greets them not so subtly gesturing to the new addition to his office.

“Beautiful breakfront. Is it new?” Ben’s hands brush over the top of the dresser. Rey knows Ben does not give a shit about Hux’s new furniture so he has to be leading up to something. 

“It is English Regency Egyptian Revival, built in the 1800’s but, yes, it is new to my office.” Hux smiles obviously thinking he’s being funny. Rey would laugh if she could. Not because it’s funny but because he is.

“Witty.” Ben mumbles. “Hux, I’m letting you go.” 

Anything Rey found funny in a second ago is forgotten. Rey didn’t even know Ben could fire Hux and if he could this whole time, why wait until now? 

“Pardon?” Hux’s disbelief is written all over his face.

“You're fired. I’ve asked you to get Snoke to do Oprah for months and you still haven’t done it” 

“I told you that’s impossible, Snoke hasn’t done an interview in twenty years.” Rey already knows he’s wrong. Oh so wrong. You do not use the word impossible in front of Solo. He will find a way to do it and then show you just how wrong you are. 

“Well that’s interesting because I just got off the phone with him and he is in.” Ben offers smugly. 

“But…” Hux has nothing else to offer in defense. Everyone in the room knows he’s lost.

“You didn’t even call him did you?” Ben is now staring at Hux. Rey has never been on the receiving end of one of his stares but she knows what they do to people. The countless people he’s fired have received the same look. The cold, dead look in Ben’s eyes will freeze any one in their seats. Thankfully, Rey has never messed up so badly to have received one of these stares. 

“But...”

“I know Snoke can be a little scary to deal with.” Ben pauses and looks around the office, “For you.” and he’s back to staring. He’s like a cat letting his prey out of his grasp for a second only to snatch it back up. “Now, I will give you two months to find another job and then you can tell everyone you resigned. Ok?” 

Ben’s leaving his office, not waiting for a response. Rey’s frozen in her spot for a second but she manages to slip into the hallway before the door completely closes. 

“What’s his twenty?” Rey glances back at the office and sees Hux pacing back and forth with nothing but pure fury displayed on his face. 

“He’s moving. He has crazy eyes.” Rey snaps to face forward when she sees Hux walking towards the door. 

“Don’t do it Hux. Don’t do it.” Ben mumbles.

“You poisonous snake!” Hux’s scream can be heard, she’s sure from the neighboring floors. Employees heads pop up out of their cubicles trying to see what the hell is going on. 

Ben calmly turns around and takes a step forward. Rey stays in her spot trying her best to keep her eyes down, not wanting to become the receiving end of Hux’s anger. She’ll leave that to Ben.

“You can’t fire me!” From what Rey can see from the side of eye, he’s not finished. 

“You don't think I see what you're doing here? Sandbagging me on this Oprah thing so that you can look good to the board? Because you are threatened by me! And you are a monster.” Rey is now looking at Hux because she just can’t fathom why he looks so proud. He’s looking around the office like to show off. Maybe if she didn’t know any better she would have thought he was right but she does know better. 

Ben just shakes his head, “Hux, Stop.”

“Just because you have no semblance of a life outside of this office, you think that you can treat all of us like your own personal slaves. You know what? I feel sorry for you. Because you know what you're gonna have on your deathbed? Nothing and no one.” Rey can’t help to glance at Ben and see his reaction. Stone cold. Like always. God, doesn’t this man have feelings?

“Listen carefully, Hux. I didn't fire you because I feel threatened. No. I fired you because you're lazy, entitled, incompetent and you spend more time cheating on your wife than you do in your office. And if you say another word, Rey here is gonna have you thrown out, OK?” Rey’s eyes lock with Hux’s and she hopes he can’t see the fear in them. Hux’s eyes shift back to Ben’s ad he opens his eyes to speak but Ben cuts him off.

“Another word and you're going out of here with an armed escort. Rey is gonna film it on her iPhone and put it on Youtube. Is that what you want?” Ben doesn’t give him a chance to reply. “Didn’t think so.” He turns to leave and looks back at her, “ have work to do.”

On their way back to his office he looks to the side and says “Have security take his breakfront and put it in my conference room.” 

“Got it.” 

"I need you this weekend to help review his files and his manuscript." Her head snaps towards him. Dread filling her gut as she hopes she misheard him.

"This weekend?"

"You have a problem with that?" Yes. Yes I have a problem with that. When you work for Ben Solo however, you cannot have a problem with working scheduled and contracted days off. 

"No. I... just my grandmother's 90th birthday, so I was gonna go home and...It's fine. I'll cancel it." Rey can already heard the angry protests from her mom. Ben doesn't even care to listen to her as he enters his office. "You're saving me from a weekend of misery, so it's...." She's not why she keeps talking he can't even hear her anymore. "Good talk" she grumbles.

-

"I know, I know. OK, tell Gammy I'm sorry. OK?" She whispers into the receiver. anyone passing by would most likely assume she was sexing it up with a boyfriend or something from her hunched over and secretive position. the reality however is that Rey's mom is now cursing out her boss. "What… Mom. What do you want me to tell you?" She asks weakly knowing there's absolutely nothing she can tell Ben.

Maybe she can tell him she's gotten into a car accident on Saturday morning and just slip away unnoticed to her parents. It wouldn't be a bad idea if it weren't for the fact that Ben would most certainly still expect her to come or at least show proof that she is incapable of coming. Fucker would probably ask for her hospital admittance on paper. 

"He's making me work the weekend. No, I'm not... no." Rey sighs "I've worked too hard for this promotion to throw it all away. I'm sure that Dad is pissed," Rey can feel his presence before he even makes himself known. ",but we take all of our submissions around here seriously. We'll get back to you as soon as we can." She hangs up the phone before Ben can hear her mom's shrill protests. 

"Was that your family?" He asks. Rey hates that he knew that. She needs to get better at keeping things from him 

"Yes."

"They tell you to quit?" The phone comes back to life and she places her hand ready to pick it up.

"Every single day... Ben Solo's office"


	2. Chapter 2

Rey hangs up the phone and glances over at Ben’s office doors. Picking herself up from the chair she sighs and makes her way back over to him. Poking her head in, she can see him busy typing at his computer. He hasn’t glanced up at her yet and by the little lines formed between his brows she knows he’s too focused to notice her presence. She doesn’t mean to, not really at least, but she finds herself using this time to just… look. Of course, she knows what her boss looks like but everytime she has a chance to just look at him, she always finds something more. A new mole she missed or how his eye twitches every time he reads a typo. Today, she notices how neatly groomed his eye brows are. Fucker gets his eyebrows waxed while Rey doesn’t have a second to spare in her day. Gently knocking on the wall she finally has his attention.

“Phasma and Holdo wanna see you upstairs” she says gesturing upwards. Nodding stiffly, he stands up and starts making his way to their office. Standing at the entrance of his office she takes a second to look around. Rey always found it kind of sad how he didn’t seem to have anything personal to make the office his. No pictures of family on his desk, no plants by the windows. In fact, Rey remembers about a year ago when a client had bought Ben an office plant as a gift and it sat on his window sill for a whole four hours before she saw it in the trash. Closing the door behind her, she makes sure to shut the blinds. 

Rey has never dared to snoop in Ben Solo’s office before, but she knows he won’t be back for at least twenty minutes so with that thought she walks over to his desk. Rey makes sure not to touch anything on the desk because she’s sure he would somehow know if his pen was turned three degrees to the left. With a click she looks down and realizes she’s opened his drawer. Taking a look towards the door she opens it the rest of the way. Rey’s eyes immediately land on the velvet box tucked away in the corner. Quickly memorizing the location of the box, she takes it out and opens it. What meets her eyes shouldn’t be a surprise. What else would you keep in a square velvet box?

The engagement ring that stares back at her is bigger than anything Rey has ever seen. She wouldn’t be surprised if it’s worth was more than shes made in her whole life. She can’t remember Ben ever mentioning a girlfriend but she also can’t remember Ben ever sharing anything personal about himself. Ben never brought anyone to the annual holiday parties and Rey’s never seen a date scheduled in his calendar. Placing the box back in the drawer she lets the drawer close with a sigh. Whoever that ring is for, she’s one lucky lady.

-

“What?!” Ben’s voice shocks her as she takes half a step into Phasma’s and Holdo’s office.

“Sorry to interrupt,” she says, eyes darting to the two women seated, “Mr. Solo, Mary from Ms. Winfrey’s office called. She’s on the line.”

“I know” he grits out.

“She’s on hold. She needs to speak to you. I told her you were otherwise engaged. She insisted so… sorry.” Rey sees a look take over his face. Ben’s never given her this look before. She knows his looks and their meanings like the back of her hand but this one, she has no clue. She makes a gesture out the door but before she can leave she hears Ben whisper for her to come to him. Looking around she makes sure he’s talking to her. Hesitantly, she closes the door behind her and shuffles her way towards Ben.

“Ladies, I understand.” He gestures for Rey to come closer. “I understand the predicament that we are in and…” glancing once more at Rey he takes a deep breath, “And I think there’s something that you should know. We are getting married.” Rey slowly brings her eyes to Ben who is looking everywhere but her. “We are… getting married.” 

“Who’s getting married?” Rey’s not sure why she asks. Maybe it’s because there’s no way she’d forget agreeing to take Ben’s hand in marriage. Ben wraps one of her small hands in his humongous ones and keeps his eyes on the women who have been watching this unfold. 

“You and I. You and I are. Yes!” He exclaims. 

“We are…”

“Getting married.”

“We are getting married.” Rey feels numb. This has to be a dream. There’s no way this is happening. Rey hopes with every fiber in her being this is just a very late April fools joke. Rey can help but let out a little giggle. Looking up at Ben she waits for him to reveal the joke but he makes no effort. 

“Well, we’re really happy for you two! We didn’t even know you were dating.” Holdo says, beaming at them. Rey can’t help but laugh a little harder. 

“No. No we-”

“We didn’t want anyone to know. You know how office gossip can get. Especially with her being my assistant and all.” Ben’s panicked interruption makes her laugh stop short. The realization that this is in fact not an April fools joke or a prank falling over her. 

“Well we’re happy to hear to hear about this. Just make it legal?” Phasma says gesturing to her own engagement ring.

“Right. We need to get ourselves to the,” Ben takes his arm and throws it around Rey making her go stiff, “to the immigration office so we can get this whole mess worked out.” With his hand on the small of her back he leads them to the door. With a quick and final goodbye he urges her into the hall way and shuts the door. With the click of the lock, he separates from her and starts walking back to his office.

-

“Ben and Rey are getting married?!” 

Rey can hear the people not so quiet whispers to each other as she makes her way to Ben's office. He’s already made it to his office but Rey is still within earshot of all the gossip around her. She can hear confusion in people's voices. Rey’s sure that her confusion is greater than her coworkers. Rey doesn’t bother knocking on Ben’s door, instead she walks inside and slams the door.

“I don’t understand what is happening.” 

“Relax. This is for you too.” Ben says calmly looking up at her from his desk. 

“Do explain.”

“They were going to make Hux chief.”

“So naturally I have to marry you.” She replies cooly. He’s acting like this should be obvious to her. Up until today, she never thought she would get married and now her asshole boss is telling her she’s marrying him.

“What? Like you were saving yourself for prince charming?” He’s gone back to organizing the papers on his desk.

“Umm… yeah! I like to think so. Besides, isn’t this illegal? Actually no, it is illegal, Ben.” 

“Oh please they’re looking for terrorists and rapists, not book publishers.” 

“Ben. I am not marrying you.” Rey’s tone makes him look back at her. His cold stare scares her. 

“Sure you are, because if you don’t your dreams of touching the lives of millions will be dead. As soon as I’m deported, Hux is in charge. The first thing he will do is fire you. Next thing you know you're looking for a job. All the late nights, midnight coffee runs, the cancelled dates, everything, will have been for nothing and your dreams of being an editor are dead.” With every truth that comes from his lips. Rey’s body begins to go numb. “And don’t worry. After the alloted time we can get a divorce and this can all be over with. You won’t have to deal with me.” Ben almost whispered the last part. “Okay?”, his head tilting a little. Before she can even say anything, the phone at her desks starts ringing. For the millionth time in her life, she has no choice but to follow his command.

-

Rey never knew the line at the immigration office could be this long. If she was here with anyone else maybe she could pass the time by chatting but seeing as Ben hasn’t spoken a word to her since they met outside, she knows that isn’t an option. Sighing she takes her place with Ben in line and takes out her phone to hopefully answer a few emails. Before she can do so, she sees Ben start walking towards the front.

“Ben!” she yel whispers at him. Is this man really trying to cut the whole line right now? She hears the person behind the glass yell for the next person and before she can stop him, Ben has stepped in front of a poor woman. Rey does her best to apologize with the look she gives her but the woman just glares at her. 

“Sorry, this is really quick. I just need to you to file this fiance visa for me, please.” The least Ben can do is act sorry while he all but tosses the form in the mans face. The man behind the glass looks between the two of them and just says, 

“Come with me.” 

Rey looks up at her “fiance” and all Rey receives is a shrug. They end up in a small office and the man let’s them know that someone will be with them shortly. Rey’s heels weren’t made with comfort in mind so she takes a seat in front of the desk that she can only assume belongs to a Mr. Plutt given by the nameplate facing her. Ben remains standing in the corner looking at his phone. She looks up at the sound of a knock and the door opening to reveal an older man. 

“Hello! Mr. Solo and soon to be Mrs. Solo I presume.” He shakes Ben hand first, then makes his way to sit behind his desk. “Sorry to keep you guys busy.” 

“Oh it’s no problem. We know you’re very busy here, that’s why once you sign our application, we can be out of your hair.” He looks over at Rey and smirks. “Besides, me and my fiance have some packing to do. We’re going up to her parents. You know, gammies 90th birthday.” Rey’s surprise is evident on her face and she hopes she managed to hide it when Mr. Plutt looked back over to her. 

“Well I’m sure that will be a great weekend. Where are your parents from again?” Rey never mentioned where her parents were from but she doesn’t bother correcting him.

“Takodana”  
Takodana” Ben says it a half second after her. Rey doubts he even knows where it is. Doubts he even cares to know anything about her. Mr. Plutt quirks his eyebrows urging her to elaborate.

“Alaska” She hears Ben cover up his surprise with a small cough. She smirks and lands a hand on his thigh. A little higher than she was aiming for but she’s not about to move it. “Ben and I are so excited. We’ve had to keep this trip so secret because we didn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. You know, especially with my promotion.” She can’t help but bat her eyelashes at Ben Solo. His expression his hard and almost unreadable. Rey sees something in his eyes. Something in the way he’s looking at her. It’s almost as if-

“So are you both aware that Ben is just a few weeks from being deported and that if this wedding is a sham, which I strongly believe it is, Ben will be deported and Rey will have commited a felony that comes with a fine of $250,000 and up to 5 years in federal prison.” Rey’s eyes widen. She hadn’t really realized the legal side of all this. Bile rises its way into her throat. She feels sick. She wants to scream but all she needs to do is think about Bens words the other day. She wants this job more than anything. Besides, it’s not like it will be hard to pretend they like each other. Besides she might even get to see his hu-. “You wanna tell me something Rey?” 

She shakes her head yes out of instinct. Of course I have something to tell you! It’s just I can’t. Quickly nodding her head no, she opens her mouth to speak. 

“The truth is…” she glances over at Ben and sees a flash of panic across his handsome features. Rey wouldn’t say that he himself is handsome, no, she would never tell you that. “The truth is me and Ben are just two people who weren’t meant to fall in love. But we did.” Bens hand finds hers and squeezes lightly. If Rey didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he looked grateful. 

“Well we will be holding interviews. With the both of you as well as your family members, neighbors, friends, coworkers, and enemies. If something doesn’t line up, I will find it and I will bring you down.” Rey should be feeling a lot of things right now but she can’t being herself to feel… anything.

After setting up an appointment for their respectives interviews, they find themselves on a busy sidewalk of New York. 

“That was good. You know about the promotion and stuff. Clever.” He chuckles as his eyes roam the phone in his hand. 

“I wasn’t kidding.” Reys stopped right in front of him, forcing him to look up. He rolls his eyes and makes his way to step around her. “No! No Ben! You heard what he said in there. 5 years in prison? I’m getting something out of this or you can start packing now.”

She can see him working his jaw with unnecessary force. “Fine. I’ll make you editor. In two years.”

“No! Right away. And you’ll publish my manuscript.” 

“Ten thousa-”

“Twenty thousand copies first run.” 

“Rey…” In any other circumstances she would take that as a warning and back off but he knows he needs her more than she needs him. “I can’t just....”

“Okay then. Bye bye Ben.” Pivoting on her heels she takes two steps before she feels his hand enclose around her wrist. 

“Okay okay. I’ll make you editor and we’ll do twenty thousand copies if you do the Alaska weekend and the interview.” He pinches the bridge of his nose before continuing, “Just use my miles to book the flights and make sure they have edible food because last tim-”

“Ask me nicely.” Rey doesn’t let him finish because of course she knows what he’s going to say. She didn’t spend twenty minutes listening to him complain about the horrible food he had had on the plane that she had booked for him to just forget about it. 

“I don’t seem how this is really necessary but will you please use the mile-”

“No. Ask me nicely to marry you Ben. I want you down on one knee and everything.” He eyes immediately fall to the dirty New York sidewalk. The sigh that leaves his lips seems a little dramatic but leave it to him to worry about getting his designer suit a little dirty. His knee settles on the pavement and Rey can see a few pedestrians give them weird looks. 

“Will you marry me?” He says it almost like it pains him. Out with one breath and not even a speck of kindness in his voice. 

“No. Say it like I’m the love of your life and my father doesn’t approve and you want to run away and elope.” 

“For fucks sake.” he huffs. Rey can’t help but smirk. She never thought she’d have this kind of power over him but here he is, kneeling before her and following her commands. His eyes suddenly meet hers and Rey's lips part in surprise. His hand finds hers and gently holds it, “Rey. Rey you have made me the happiest man on Earth and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you make me even happier and marry me?” Rey doesn’t quite know how long she’s been nodding her head but it must have been a while because with that, Ben stands and gives her a quick goodbye leaving her dazed and confused. 

Later that night, when she’s in bed booking their tickets, Rey can’t help but wonder if in another world Ben would have said those words to her but meant them. Don’t get her wrong, she does not have a crush on Ben Solo. She just can’t help letting her mind wander to a world where she wasn’t just a no one from nowhere to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Break has now began so I'll have some more time to write. As always I'm open to comments, criticism or suggestions. I'm thinking about doing the next chapter in Ben's POV. What do u guys think???


	3. Chapter 3

“So these are all the questions that INS is going to ask us.” Rey’s not so graciously dropped a thick binder in Ben’s lap. He holds back a groan as he opens the front cover. 

To say that Ben was a little ticked off was an understatement. Ben hated flying and he especially hated flying coach. His legs too long for the space in front of him had his knees digging into the seat in front of him and his side was practically glued to the wall next to the window. Even with that he could still feel himself pressed up against his assistant. Leave it to Rey to get them tickets in coach but she had told him that morning it was the best she could do so last minute.

He knows she could’ve found them an upgrade if she just tried but she probably wanted to see him suffer. Everyone in that office could see how much she hated him. He would blame her if he could. Ben was never the person people liked. For a time in his life that bothered him but he’s stopped caring about stupid people and started focusing on more important things in his life. Like a job. Money. Books. 

“So I looked it over and the good news is I know everything about you but the bad news is you have a week to learn all of this about me so…” With that kind of statement he can’t help but laugh. There is no way she knows everything about him. Hell, his parents probably didn’t even know half of these things in this binder.

“Everything? So ‘Does he or she have any scars?’” He reads off a random question. She doesn’t even spare a glance at him as she looks through her bag searching for something. 

“Well the obvious one is the one on your face. You got that from your cat and before you protest, I know it was your cat because I know what a cat scratch looks like. Anyways, I think you have a tattoo.” With her bag now under the seat and a bag of gummy candies in her hand she pops one into her mouth and smiles. 

“You think I have one?” He pries. He’s not sure how the hell she even knows that. He hasn’t worn anything to even show a sliver of it. The stupid decisions he made as a teenager have no room in his professional life. 

“Well one time there was this guy who called about your Q-switched laser appointment and I looked it up and they’re used to remove tattoos so I can only guess.” She’s looking at him now and he doesn’t like it one bit. They way she smiles so smugly. Like she has the upper hand now but he’s done this to himself hasn’t he. She’s the one marrying him of all people when she could probably get any man she wanted to. “So what is it? You’re gonna have to tell me you know.” He grunts and looks at another page. 

“What’s my favorite ice cream flavor?” 

“Easy. You don’t have one. You don’t eat ice cream. You don’t eat anything that could possibly make you feel any type of joy. God forbid.” Her tone is light. Like it’s the most obvious thing in the world but Ben can’t help feel those words prick him somewhere deep in his mind. 

“Haha. Very funny.” He brushes her off because that’s the only thing he can do. He isn’t really going to meet his fiance's parents. He’s here on business and he will act like it. “Ok well, ‘Whose place will we be living together in?’” Ben almost scoffs at the question, “That’s an easy one. Mine.”

“And why wouldn’t it be mine?” She asks defensively. Ben can’t help but laugh.

“Well I live in a condo at Central Park West and you probably live in a shitty studio apartment in God knows where.” Ben looks over at Rey and wishes he hadn’t. He can see the hurt etched into her face and his mind is screaming at him to apologize. What good would it do to apologize though? She already hates him and he is not planning on changing that anytime soon. This is the Ben she knows. The only Ben he will ever show her. 

Looking away and clearing his throat, he sees in the corner of his eye he sees her put earbuds in. He closes the binder and shoves it under the seat in front of him. 

He looks out the tiny window and lets his mind wander. Where does she actually live? What’s her favorite ice cream flavor? Does she have any scars? Tattoos? It’s not like Ben to check out the people he works with but with some of the things she chooses to wear to work, he’s caught himself looking. She’s nothing but smooth tan skin and smiles. Rey’s not to blame for his wandering eyes of course. It’s probably due to the fact of Ben’s limited interaction with woman in general. It’s been so long, sometimes Ben forgets what it feels like to be touched. 

It’s not like Ben hasn’t. Been touched that is. He’s had is fair share of dates and flings, but through his experiences, no one wants the brooding asshole that barely has time for them. So Ben’s made peace with that and he’s fine with living alone with his cat. He really is fine with it. 

-

Ben’s always had a short temper but this is really testing him. If he thought the last flight was bad, this one was hell. Not only did Rey neglect to tell him that they were having a layover in Anchorage but she also failed to mention that the seats in this plane were even smaller. Opting to keep his mouth shut for his sake and everyone else's he has no choice but to suffer in silence. 

His misery is short lived because the flight ends soon and Rey’s already headed out to greet her family. Ben trails behind her not particularly thrilled to play nice with her family. 

“Rey! Rey! Over here!" Her family stands by the front of the small crowd formed to welcome the passengers. Their smiles bright and as he watches them all hug her he can’t help but feel a little resentment. Ben hasn’t seen his family in years and he knows he’d ruined any chances of getting that kind of welcome. Ever. 

“Oh! Mom, Gammy, this is Ben. My…” She trails off looking over at him. He almost says the word fiance for her but he opts for a smile. He’ll let her figure out how to tell them she’s been secretly dating her boss without a word to them

“It’s nice to meet you Ben. I’m Amylin, Rey’s mother.” Amylin smiles and he can tell she’s about to hug him. 

“Hi. It’s nice to finally meet you. Rey’s told me a lot about you..” He holds out his hand and he can see the hesitation in her moms face. Under different circumstances he’s hug them but the more distance he puts between them the better. He shakes her moms and “gammies” hand and stands stiffly next to Rey. 

“All good things we hope! We can’t say we’ve heard the same but we’re glad to have you here Ben. You can just call me Maz” Ben’s not sure if he should be offended by her gammies words but Ben brushes it off with a half hearted laugh. 

After getting their luggage they make their way to her moms pickup truck. Taking a seat in the back with Rey he glances around her hometown. As they pass all the shops he can’t help but notice all of them have “Niima” in their name. Glancing over at Rey he pokes her arm. 

“You didn’t tell me about all the family businesses babe.” She just shrugs a little.

“Well you never asked so…” The fact is, Ben never asks anything about her. Too scared to blur the lines of professionalism and friendship.

“She’s probably just being modest.” Her grandma pipes up earning a chuckle from her mom. No asshole, it’s because you never asked her. He sighs as he looks back at all the shops bearing her last name passing by. He figures if they want to make this believable, he’s going to have to be nice to her. Try to at least be friends. Besides, she won’t be his assistant once he gets back. 

But what Ben forgets about completely is the piece of advice he’d gotten years ago. Never mix business with pleasure.

-

He should have caught on to something when her mom drove past all the hotels in the area. The alarm bells only start going off when he realizes they’ve pulled up to a mini dock of some sorts. 

“Rey. Are we not going to the hotel?” He whispers quietly. Apparently he did a poor job because he hears her mom pipe up from over Rey’s shoulder.

“We cancelled your reservations. You guys are family and family stays with us. We hope that’s okay?” She asks the last part and Ben wants to scream No! but he plasters on a fake smile and looks down at Rey. 

“Oh that’s great. Thank you.” Rey doesn’t even look a little distraught but after a moment a look of horror crosses her face and she quickly spins around towards her mother. 

“What room are we gonna be in mom?” 

“Oh well were currently holding of your dads junk in the guest bedroom so I hope your okay with your old bedroom.” Although Ben is still angry about having to sleep in her parent’s home, his ears perk up at her mother’s words. Getting a glimpse into her old bedroom will surely give him something to tease her about at work. Not that Ben thinks of ways to tease Rey. No.

"Are we taking a boat to your house?" He can see some sort of mansion a little bits away on the horizon but he doubts that's her house. 

"Why? Are you scared?" She taunts him and brushes past him to get to her luggage. He decides the answer is yes and goes to grab his own. After making their way down the ladder her mother and grandmother made their descents down, they get in the little boat and Ben tries his best to seem calm.

The truth is Ben is anything but calm. He can’t swim and although the chances of him falling in the water are slim, they aren’t zero. He takes a seat next to Rey as her mother pulls away from the dock. He feels Rey grab his hand and squeeze and when he looks over he’s shocked to find her brown eyes looking back. 

“I know you can’t swim. It’s okay.” She smiles at him warmly and he has to look away because its almost too much. All of this is almost too much. He should say thank you or something. Anything. But he doesn’t trust his own voice. The only thing Ben can focus the whole ride is Rey’s hand clutching his.

When they finally get to her house Ben has somewhat calmed down from having his legs on land again. As they walk the path to her house Ben can only gawk. 

“This is your house?” He exclaims. Rey’s hand, now clutching her own luggage is no longer holding his and Ben tries not to focus on how nice it had felt. She just shrugs and turns to her mother. 

“Mom why are there people here?” She asks as she spots a few people on their patio and waving and yelling over at Rey. 

“We just invited some friends over for a little welcome home party. They haven’t seen you in ages and they all wanted to come by so why not have them all come? I hope that’s okay.” Ben can only sigh. He hopes they can’t hear it but Rey sure does. 

“Sorry.” she mouths to him. Ben shrugs and decides it’s not exactly her fault he will be thrown into a group of strangers and forced to mingle after a long flight. He ignores the part of his mind that hopes Rey will grab his hand in there too.

-

“So what does a book editor actually do?” One of Rey’s family friends asks. Before he can reply an older gentleman walks over and pipes in. 

“That’s a great question Snap, I’m curious to the answer myself.”

“Dad.” Ben cant help but notice the hit of bitterness in her tone. 

“You must be Bart.” He holds out his hand to him and Ben shakes it a little too forcefully. 

“It’s Ben. Nice to meet you Mr. Niima.” 

“Joe. Nice to meet you too. Now why don’t you tell us what a book editor actually does, besides taking writers out to lunch and getting bombed.” He chuckles. Ben can tell this man has no idea what he’s talking about. Has he never bothered to ask Rey what she actually wants to do with her life? What as assh-

“That sounds fun. No wonder you love your job so much.” Snap pipes up and lightly punches Rey’s arm. 

“Oh no Snap, Rey isn’t an editor. Bart here is the editor. Rey is just his assistant.” Ben can feel Rey stiffen beside him. Without thinking about it he wraps his arm around her shoulders and brings her closer. 

“It’s Ben.” He says without a hint of kindness in his voice. Who does he think he is?

“So you’re actually Rey’s Boss?” Snap asks looking between them amusingly. “Well how about that?” Noting the tension both Snap and Joe announce their need for a refill in their drinks and walk away. 

Taking a moment to look down at Rey he notes her dull expression. 

“Well that was…” He trails off. He’s not sure how to comfort her right now but he just squeezes her shoulders and lets her head fall on his chest and he prays that Rey can’t hear how fast his heart is racing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's kinda short but I figured i'd post something. Hope you guys like it.


	4. Chapter 4

Rey should’ve known better. She should have known that her mom was going to throw this party. She hasn’t come home in almost a year and now she brought a man. Not even any man, but her boss. Of course her mom would dive head first into throwing a ‘Welcome Home’ party. 

She loves her mom. Of course she does but given the way things are going so far, she could’ve done without this shit show. The only sense of calm she’s managed to feel throughout this party so far is the feeling of her head pressed against Ben’s chest and his hands gently squeezing her shoulders. She shouldn’t like it as much as she does. 

Ben went to go get them drinks but she can see he’s talking to the Walker’s near the punch. She takes a moment to look around the party, trying to see if she saw any of her old high school friends. She’s lost contact with almost all of them but it’d be nice to see them. She almost gives up and comes to the conclusion most of them had left to do bigger, better things just like she had when she hears a familiar voice calling out her name. 

When she finds the owner of the voice she is taken aback. 

“Matt oh my god.” For the second time that night she scorns herself for not knowing better. Of course he’d be here. Just where you left him.

“Rey. How are you? How’s the big apple treating you? Everything you’d hope it be, I hope.” His smile so bright Rey can’t help but smile back. 

“It’s great. Work is work but other than that it’s great. How about you? How’s life?”

“Can’t complain. I’m working at the kindergarten. I just got the job a few years ago and it’s the best. The kids are just… amazing. I never thought I’d love being a kindergarten teacher but life is full of surprises.” He chuckles. Rey can’t help but notice how everything about him seems the same as all those years ago. His smile, his laugh, his ability to make her smile with just a simple greeting. Rey feels like she’s changed so much since moving to New York and she can’t help but wonder if Matt feels the same. “Speaking of surprises.” He grins and tips his chin to something behind her. 

Rey can feel his hand on the small of her back before she sees him. She looks up to her side and sees Ben’s warm brown eyes looking down at her. He hands her a glass of punch and looks over to Matt. 

“Hi. Im Ben. It’s nice to meet you…” His hand leaves her back and he extends it to Matt who happily shakes it. 

“Matt. Nice to meet you too, Ben.” Rey can’t help but feel a little awkward and she figures she should probably say something. 

“Matt’s my… friend. From high school.” Rey wants the floor to swallow her whole. Why does she even care if Ben knows that-

“Yeah. We grew up together. It’s a shame you never got to see what she looked like in middle school but I’m sure there are some picture of her-”

“Okay that’s enough. I’m sure Ben doesn’t need to see those pictures.” She cuts Matt off before he could finish. God if Ben ever laid eyes on those pictures she wouldn’t be able to face him ever again. 

“Actually I’m really curious now.” He smirks down at her. His hand has returned to her back and she doesn’t even notice when she leans into him. 

“I’m sure you could ask Amylin and she’d gladly show you.” She glares at Matt and looks up at Ben. 

"Ben I swear." She grits out and he just shrugs. "I'll kill you if you see those photos. I won't let you live." She threatens.

"Okay. I won't ask." He chuckles. To Rey, this whole exchange makes her uncomfortable. How natural it is. How easy it seems to be. She could almost forget the fact that this is fake and that this man is basically blackmailing her to do this. 

Some other people join the group and start chatting about all different types of things. Mostly about some gossip going around town about someone's cousin or nephew or whatever. Rey can't really pay attention to any of it. She still hasn't talked to her dad. 

She excuses herself from the group and assures Ben she'll be back soon. Once she makes it to the kitchen, she finds her dad pouring himself a drink.

"You know you could be a little nicer to him." She says as soon as she walks in. 

"I'm the one who should be angry here, Rey. You show up after all this time with the boss you hate and now he's your what? Your boyfriend?" He's not yelling but Rey can't help but feel her anger building. 

"We just got here dad. Can we wait ten seconds until you ridicule me for my life choices?" She hisses trying to keep her voice down. 

"I just never figured you'd be the type of girl to sleep her way to the middle." Given how quietly he said it, Rey thinks she wasn't meant to hear it. 

"Are you shitting me dad? That's what you think this is? You think I'd do that?" Rey can feel herself shaking. Her hands are clenched so hard, her nails are starting to dig into her palms. Her dad just shrugs and takes a sip of his drink. "I'll have you know that that man is one of the most talented and respected editors is New York City and me being with him has nothing to do with my job." She grits out. 

"He's your meal ticket and you brought him home to meet your mother." He replies back, not a shred of remorse in his eyes.

"No dad. He's not my meal ticket. He's my fiance." She spits back watching the shock set in on his face. 

"What?" He mumbles.

"You heard me. Him and I are getting married. Thanks so much for your blessing, father." With that Rey strides out of the kitchen and leaves her father standing there with a stunned expression. 

Rey doesn't even hesitate when she stomps to the middle of the living room. The adrenaline running through her veins is fueling her and she searches the room for Ben. When she sees him talking to some people she doesn't even know she clears her throat.

"Can I have everyone's attention? I have an announcement to make." Her voice is loud and clear and she soon can see all eyes on her. She can see her father come out the kitchen from the corner of her eye. "Ben and I are getting married." She exclaims. It was quiet before but now people are quietly murmuring to each other. Rey can't focus on them because all she can focus on is Ben. He looks a little shaken and awkward but he slowly makes his way to her and she immediately grabs his hand. She doesn't care if he doesn't want to hold her hand right now. She needs him. 

There's no going back now. The whole town knows. Her whole family knows. If she called it quits now, not only would she feel embarrassed but she'd also be jobless. She feels Ben's hand grip hers tightly and his thumb has started rubbing small circles on the back of it. She smiles up at him shyly. She can hear from the corner someone yells to go get the champagne. 

-

Once champagne was brought out everyone gathered relatively close to the living room. Her family sat on the couches well her and then stood nearby. There was one open seat and after some arguing from her family Ben reluctantly sat down and Rey had no other choice but to sit on his lap. His arms awkwardly wrapped around her middle then she leaned back on him. Rey knew she was small but she still feared she was too heavy for this to be comfortable for him.

"Is this okay? I'm not too heavy?" She whispers so only he can hear. His face scruntches up on confusion and what Rey thinks is disbelief.

"No you're perfect. I mean, it's fine." Rey can't help but blush at his comment. Even if he didn't mean it. It's not real. It's all fake Rey. 

"So how did he propose?" Her grandma asks. Rey's about to protest in telling the story when she hears everyone else also ask. She can see Matt who's sitting not too far away from them also encouraging them to share the story. 

"Well um… I have my own version of the story but Ben tells it much better. Why don't you tell them." Ben groans quietly and she can't help but giggle. 

"Well… umm where do I start." He mumbles. All eyes and ears are now on him. "We had been seeing each other for about six months at that point and we were working late in the office one night." Rey can see his adam's apple bob when he swallows harshly. His grip on her waist tightens slightly. "We were working for some kind of deadline and I knew she wanted me to propose for some time now. She thought she was slick with her clues but I knew that she was waiting for me to pop the question. We were just about to leave and we were talking about what we were going to eat for dinner and she asked me what I wanted." He takes a deep breath, "and I just answered honestly. I told her I wanted to marry her." 

Everyone around them smiles and Rey can't help but feel a little sad. The truth was if they ever did spend a night at the office, her and Ben never got dinner together. He would just dismiss her coldly and she would go home and eat some leftovers. The story is sickly sweet and Rey knows if this were real, that proposal would be perfect. 

"I said yes. Obviously." She chuckles. Her mother and grandma look so happy and Rey let's herself believe it's real. For their sakes of course. 

"Well where's the ring?" Matt pipes up trying to catch a glimpse at her left hand. Rey looks at Ben with a bit of panic. They never discussed that part of getting engaged. 

"I have my grandmother's ring but we were actually waiting to make the announcement to you all before she would wear it." Ben replies without hesitation. One of Ben's hands starts searching around his jacket pocket. He pulls out the same ring Rey saw in his desk drawer. Rey stares at it stunned. They should've bought a fake one from Walmart or something. No way did she expect him to let her wear that beauty. 

"We'll put it on her boy!" Someone yells from the back and a wave of laughter flows through the room. Ben grabs Rey's left hand and keeps his eyes down as he slides it on her finger. Rey doesn't dwell on the fact that it fits perfectly. 

The room cheers and when Ben finally looks up at her he has a look in his eyes she can't quite place. The same look he's been giving her since this all happened and she still doesn't know what it is. The moment is broken when everyone starts chanting. Rey is confused until she makes out the word they all seem to be yelling. 

"Kiss!" In all fairness, she figured she'd have to kiss him eventually. She just didn't expect it to be now and especially not when she's sat on his lap. They look at each other panicked. 

"Just kiss my cheek. If you want." She whispers. The way he's looking at her makes Rey feel like he would rather eat glass than put his lips anywhere near her. She tries to hide her hurt as he painfully closes the distance and presses his lips to her cheek. It doesn't seem to be what the crowd around them wanted. Around them people groan and she can hear the complaints. 

"Oh come on. Kiss her like you mean it." Matt cheers. Once again Rey stares at Ben. Her body has gone stiff. She can feel Ben's body tense beneath hers and he blows out a breath trying to compose himself. 

"It's just a kiss. We can do that." He mumbles and Rey nods stiffly trying not to look down at his lips. She's closer to him than she ever has and she can see his soft lips. He places a hand on the back of her neck and at that moment Rey can't think. She can't hear anything that her family and friends are saying. All she can do is look at those lips. 

When his lips touch hers she thinks she has died. It's barely a kiss. Just two people touching lips but it's the best kiss she's ever had. She should feel silly for thinking that but here's something about the feel of his lips on hers. The way his nose presses into her face. She doesn't know who moved first but their kiss deepens and they're really kissing. Rey is really kissing her boss. Her intimidating but also kind of a sweet boss. 

His lips are just as soft as they look and his lips taste like the punch they've been drinking. She wants more but before she can get there, they both seem to realize where they are. They pull apart and state at each other. Their breath is a little uneven and he has that look in his eyes again. That fucking look. 

Rey tears her eyes away from him and looks around at everyone clapping. Her mother stands up and pulls Rey up from Ben's lap and gives her a hug. 

"We're so happy for you two." She murmurs into Rey's ear. Rey smiles sadly into her neck

"We're happy too." She mumbles and Rey is shocked at just how easy it is to lie to her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been so long! I'm sorry! this semester has been kicking my ass so my apologies. Did't spell check this chapter so sorry for any typos. thanks for reading and comments make me update faster ;)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fan fic! All comments are welcome, criticism, just random comments or anything really. Thanks for reading :) I'm not sure how often I'll be updating cuz I am a busy college student but I will try my best. Also, it's gonna be pretty close to the movie in the beginning until we get more into the juicy stuff. Just trying to set the scene for now. Anyways, thanks again and I hope you liked it :)


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